635: 224: Getting Roger to Comply and Behave (Seeking monthly tickets!)_2 635: 224: Getting Roger to Comply and Behave (Seeking monthly tickets!)_2 The prolonged lockout left most players rusty.
Fortunately, Roger always had the habit of staying in shape.
Big Ben and Andrae Patterson also kept their good form, joining Roger for training from time to time during the extended offseason.
Big Ben was hoping to maintain his condition, while Patterson aimed to get used to the pace of the NBA as quickly as possible.
Eventually, Roger saw the rookie that all of Atlanta was eagerly anticipating.
When Paul Pierce arrived, his expression was as excited as a little boy going fruit-picking for the first time.
Because of Stevie Smith’s departure, Paul Pierce, who was already in the spotlight, received even more attention.
Everyone expected Pierce to replace Stevie Smith and become Roger’s Divine Hand.
Do you think this would crush Pierce?
No, Pierce didn’t mind such pressure; he was a player who enjoyed competition and challenges.
The departure of Stevie Smith conveniently resolved the issue that had been concerning Pierce the most.
Now, no one could send him to the bench.
He didn’t have to be anyone’s backup!
He was confident that he could become a qualified championship player!
As for dealing with Roger, Pierce had a trick up his sleeve.
He was certain he could handle Roger with ease.
At this point, he had no objections to playing for the Hawks.
Pierce walked into the locker room and greeted everyone, “Yo, this is Paul Pierce, from Northern California, about to make a name for myself in Atlanta.”
The people in the locker room all laughed, but Pierce wasn’t embarrassed.
Back when he played at Englewood High School, Pierce was often ridiculed for being a chubby kid who couldn’t make the varsity team.
He was used to such scenes.
At that moment, Roger was not in the locker room; he had gone to a press conference, so Pippen temporarily assumed the role of locker room leader.
Pippen was now completely loyal to the Hawks; with the lockout just ended, he had received a 4-year, $65 million contract from the Hawks.
The guaranteed portion was only $55 million, with the remaining $10 million coming from incentive clauses, one of which was to help Roger win at least one championship during the contract period.
The Rockets were competing for Pippen, offering him a 5-year, $77 million deal, plus $10 million in assorted incentive bonuses.
However, the incentives did not require a championship—they were simple clauses.
Apart from the difference in years, the average annual salary was similar between the two contracts.
Yet, it was far easier to earn the $10 million in incentives from the Rockets.
But this time, Pippen played it smart.
He knew very well that, despite the Rockets having Olajuwon and Barkley, those two were already past their prime and far from their peak form.
Even with him, it would be hard for the Rockets to achieve much.
Staying in Atlanta, however, the Hawks would always be a championship contender.
The exposure and commercial income that came with it couldn’t be compensated by an additional year on the Rockets’ offer.
Pippen, once in a hurry to sign what seemed to be the safest contract due to his fear of poverty, realized that he had actually harmed himself by doing so.
Now he clearly understood that a longer contract was not necessarily better.
In Atlanta, he could always be in the spotlight.
Thus, Pippen quickly signed the contract and smoothly remained with the team, dispelling the demons that had troubled him for years.
Finally, his contract was no longer undervalued.
Finally, he was no longer just a number.
Finally, he could wholeheartedly assist Roger!
Pippen approached Pierce and pointed to two lockers, “Regarding the lockers, you have two choices.
Either that corner, which belonged to Alan Henderson last season, or next to Roger, which was Steve Smith’s last season.
But I have to warn you, being close to Roger isn’t necessarily a good thing.”
Pippen’s message was clear: Do you dare to be Roger’s Divine Hand?
Pierce walked without hesitation to the locker next to Roger’s.
Pippen started to smile.
Roger would like him.
At that time, Roger, having finished the press conference, returned to the locker room.
He cast a glance at Pierce, who was sitting next to his locker, and nodded, “Found a place to live yet?”
That was the first conversation between Roger and Pierce.
After that, nobody asked Pierce to go buy water or help buy sports protective gear.
Pierce started to wonder if he had come to the wrong place.
They weren’t harassing me?
Could this really be the Atlanta Hawks?
The team that struck fear into the Portland Jail Blazers, the team that made Karl Malone fall flat on the spot?
Something wasn’t right!
Pierce even felt that he was the most street-wise person in the locker room.
Soon, the first training session began.
As the players hadn’t trained for a long time, the focus for the day was on warmups and recovery.
And this was exactly the moment Pierce had been looking forward to.
During the lockout, Pierce hadn’t been idle; he had been training by himself, preparing to secretly impress everyone.
Pierce was someone who was willing to train hard.
His high school coach had told him that if he persisted, he could become a professional player, as he had the potential.
Pierce didn’t think too much about it; he just hoped to use basketball to get into a good university, get a job that could support his family, and not let his mother struggle so much.
Yes, as expected, Paul Pierce was another kid who grew up without a father.